This is going to be a long post. My English is not good enough to express my thought as clear as necessary.

The culture, spirit or religion is connected with emotions and that lets me think In German and will never come out as good English and will result in new misunderstanding. Makes my heart sick.

Talking about religion or spirit I have always regarded as dangerous. We have our experience since the 30 years war. In the name of religion or god every crime has up to day been justified.

Ol Chemical your idea of quoting Kafka making me to answer in German was a genius idea. I never understood Kafka. We did “The Jury”.

Your estimation that I will have the same problem with your culture as you with mine is simply true. I could live the rest of my live within your nation but would never understand it beyond a certain point. I requires to be a child living and educated up from the earliest moment within your culture.

I may understand certain issues but not comprehend them and there might be other issues which I do not understand but might comprehend.

Some things are very special relativ and some things are very relative special (Bad translation of a German joke on Einsteins Relativitätstheorie)

I did not assume that many native person have read that book. I hoped for one who would dare to answer. You did answer and for that thank you very much to you. Your peoples way of learning is obviously impossible in my situation. I can learn it only by books. And that is one dimensional and will lack peoples emotion.
Maybe more qualified native Americans should write books to reach those who can learn only by reading books and use them as a tool for education. Most books on native Americans seems to be written by white people and lack vital information.

As to Carrie Lyfords book, the pages 111 to 116 are obviously patterns from original pieces. The heading already says it.

But I assume that some other elements likewise are taken completely from a real historic piece. Page 109 and 110 look so and I assume that the pattern from side 110 might be from a pipe bag.

Pages 103 through 108 might be single element from historic piece. Which are from real pieces? That is a reason why I asked.

I assume that patterns in the other books are not better.
What I am missing in this book as well as in others is an explanation to the meaning ore in your words the use and spirit of a composition. A book written by a native person might overcome those missing dimension ore faults in the existing books and again can teach other people. If such a book exists, that should be be easy to find. And that would clarify what not to use.

Why do CrazCrow, Wandering Bull and the other trading posts sells such books instead of getting them enhanced um the above vital information? And they sell many other goods as well. Some is made in China, some is made in Czech, some is made in Germany and some is native American. I have seen War Shirts, pipe bags, pipes, headdresses.

Wardancer demands what my interest is. Would he answer me, if I would demand an answer from him why he uses something from our culture?

Let me quote Ohiyesa from page 59, the starting page of his chapter about Rain in the Face.

“It had been my experience that you cannot induce an Indian to tell a story, or even his own name, by asking him directly. Friend, I said, even if a man is on hot trail, he stops for a smoke! ...”

I will tell you two stories of mine.

I have searched for my ancestors because I wanted to know where I come from and were I am. I come back until 1790 within the direct line of the family. One information may have been willingly falsified on the official birth records that there is a father named who was not the biological father.

My grand uncle Rudolf was the only male from the male side of the family who ever was a soldier in more than 200 years. He died at the of World War II from sickness far from home and alone and is buried there. We have no photo, not a single item from him left because my great grandmother in here grieve about losing that son burned everything from him. My mother once told me, long after grandfather had died, that he had said her that I look like Rudolf.

As said in a post elsewhere in another thread, I live in a region which was a crossed by people and war parties from north to south and west to east and back for thousands of years. We once belonged to the Roman Empire, we have seen the Vikings coming upriver, we have seen the French under Napoleon and up to 1750 we belonged to the Low Countries and were given away to Prussia.

In World War II my grand and grand grand uncles fought in the German, the Polish, the Dutch, the French and the Russian Army. Figuratively they tried to kill each other. That makes my heart sick and tired.

I have due to my families history no need for war at all but if necessary I stand up according to sis vis pacem para bellum for my family.

What I am ? Russian, French, Dutch, Polish or German?

As a German please never call me a Bavarian or a Badenser, a Württemberger, a Saxon, a Franke and lot of more former tribes which lived in ancient times in what is called Germany. I am none of that.

If a hear the vocal songs of the cossacks, my heart is pleased. I like that songs. If I hear some Prussian march music my heart is with it, especially with Prussians Gloria but it must be played the old way not the f..g political correct way of today.

I accept what my heart says, you have interest in. I may search for rational reason if asked for example why do like shooting muzzleloader or the bow. I like it not for rational reasons but because my heart says I like it and I accept it as given.

I take part in muzzleloader competition shooting. The rules prohibit any traditional clothing. (Modern leather shooting jacket could be regarded as traditional clothing because in its today form we use it already 60 years. That could make it traditional if you want to.)

I like my short flint lock rifle. It is a model which is a rifle made from German rifle smiths in America and has been used by the mountain man, fur trader and native Americans. It should be carried in a rifle case mad of buckskin and that should be beaded in a way a white trader might have traded from a tribe. Ball bags and other bags for all the things needed for competition shooting should match the rifle case. At least that is not prohibited by the rules.

I have gone to workshops on medival crafts and stone age on different levels of difficulty. Making Turn shoes (part of the technique is similar to making moccasins), long bow, cross bow, sewing shirts (tunika) and under trousers. Flint stone arrow heads, stone age zippo.

Turn shoes and moccasins use very similar techniques but are off different making. And making flint stone arrow heads, do you think your native American stone arrow heads are so much different from those, we find over here five thousand years old or that the technique to make them is very different?

The geometrical beadwork is simply beautiful. It is a great craft. It requires to concentrate on what you are doing, give you joy in just doing it, give you a good feeling accomplishing a beautiful piece. It is no difficulty to do beadwork with non native patterns but I would look at it as ignoring its heritage of native American tradition and that be being dishonorable.

What do I want to depict?

Myself admiring your people and their craftsmanship in beadwork with elements which I can understand and comprehend, which as a composition is not a copy of a historic or contemporary family piece, is not offending and yet does not neglect its binding to its historic roots. What I white trader might have traded from your people.

I do not go to German pow wows. I may never make the journey into the US and by miracle if I would do, it would be the journey of my life and much too short. I would like visit a real native American pow wow. I would suffice to watch, listen, learn and keep my mouth shut. May be buy something made by native Americans.

May be I do not belong in this place and should leave it to you.
Live long and may piece with you all the time.

__________________
Those who know do not write and those who write may not know. Frank W. Louis, No such Agency

True peace between nations will only happen when there is true peace within people’s souls.
Black Elk

“Tell me, and I will listen.
Show me, and I will understand.
Involve me, and I will learn.”
Lakota Proverb

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
(Reinhold Niebuhr, but the origin is debated)